| Summary: | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Brucella</it> is a group of bacteria that causes brucellosis, which can affect population health and reproductive success in many marine mammals. We investigated the serological prevalence of antibodies against <it>Brucella</it> bacteria in a declining harbor seal population in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Prevalence ranged from 16 to 74 percent for those tests detecting antibodies, indicating that harbor seals in Glacier Bay have been exposed to <it>Brucella</it> bacteria. However, the actual level of serological prevalence could not be determined because results were strongly assay-dependent.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study reinforces the need to carefully consider assay choice when comparing different studies on the prevalence of anti–<it>Brucella</it> antibodies in pinnipeds and further highlights the need for species- or taxon-specific assay validation for both pathogen and host species.</p>
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